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	Virtual Organizing Made Easy

	by Miriam Ortiz y Pino CPO®

The possibilities for delivering organizing knowledge to the overwhelmed are practically limitless. Adding virtual organizing to your business model will allow you to reach and help more people and break out of your local area.

What is Virtual Organizing?

Surely by now you have heard the term “virtual organizing.” It is all the rage and all the cool kids are doing it. For those of you not in the know, virtual organizing delivers services via the phone and or Internet. In other words, the organizer is in his or her office (slippers optional) and the client is in his or her home or office.

Virtual organizing allows us to leverage and share our systems, ideas, tips and tricks in a variety of ways for maximum impact with our clients. The concept takes many forms: phone coaching, private project programs customized to a client’s needs, workshops and teleseminars, programs for groups, and membership sites.

Shorter Work Sessions

This method of service deliver became an option when I noticed more and more clients asking for shorter work sessions, mostly because of kids. Giving the clients what they ask for is important, too. Scheduling a phone call is much easier than coordinating trips around town. In New Mexico, it’s not unusual to travel 20 miles or more to see a client. That works out fine for a session that is at least 3 hours, but it’s less appealing for shorter sessions. Working virtually allows me to clean out a garage and talk an entrepreneur through a workflow system in the same day, too. I love the variety.

Virtual organizing can be as easy as a coaching call or as complicated as setting up a membership website full of content and community. Of course the equipment, time investment and software needs are different for every level.

Website and Email Support

A professional website that shows off your special take on organizing and a list with which you maintain regular contact is a must. It’s an easy way to share your ideas and in the virtual world, it’s where people will find you.

Beyond the website, I started by offering email support to my clients between sessions. All you need is an email account. Then I added in coaching calls to clients that wanted a shorter session. All you need is a phone and a headset.

Client Sends Images

Brush up on your coaching and listening skills. Working virtually does require a different level of engagement but is surprisingly similar to working in person. I just pretend I am standing in the same room with them.

To keep telephone sessions flowing, I first have my client take digital photos of the space we are working in and post them to shutterfly.com or a similar service. This gives us a point of reference when describing the room, the stuff and pretending I’m there. The added bonus is that they get to see their space through the lens, a slightly different perspective for them.

I tried using web cams, but found it very distracting during the session. I kept wondering where my client had wandered off. It feels like you need to stay tethered to the computer.

Stucture For The Call

Second, I plan a structure for the call. Creating a signature system for how you deliver the information helps keep you on message. It is easy to forget how often we resort to demonstration. When they can’t see you, you need to have great explanation skills.

Process Payment

It is also nice to have a way to process payment thorough your website to avoid the “check’s in the mail” syndrome. NAPO membership gives us access to the merchant account and shopping cart packages offered by Practice Pay Solutions. I have found them to be a great value and easy to work with. They are also a scalable solution that can expand as your business and ideas do.

Group Work or Workshops

If you will be doing virtual group work or workshops, you need a telephone bridge line. There are many services for this. I recommend starting with freeconference.com. It’s fairly bare bones, but a good place to practice and decide which bells and whistles you really need.

Even with a service that records calls, I found having an AudioAcrobat.com account a great way to have a backup in case of technical difficulties. AudioAcrobat.com also allows you to share recordings with your clients later, and post them to your blog.

You can leverage your knowledge further by prerecording regular workshops and uploading them to your conference call. People learning, and you don’t even need to be there. I do suggest making yourself available for questions on the phone or via email. If you do this, your clients still feel like they have personalized attention.

Social Media

Virtual organizing has moved into the social media realm, as well. You can create discussions and forums on Facebook and other sites. This is a great way to solicit feedback and conduct surveys about your offerings and what your clients are interested in learning

Membership Programs

Membership programs combine elements of all these activities and require a place to share content and create a sense of community for your clients. You also need a large list of regular participants for successful membership program to be viable. People will come and go, so there is a critical mass that needs to exist for it to be a truly successful supportive environment.

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